Mount Saint Catherine is an extensively weathered
stratovolcano
A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a conical volcano built up by many layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with a summit crater and peri ...
mountain on the
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean ...
island of
Grenada
Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Pet ...
. Its summit marks the dividing line between the parishes of
St. Mark
Mark the Evangelist ( la, Marcus; grc-gre, Μᾶρκος, Mârkos; arc, ܡܪܩܘܣ, translit=Marqōs; Ge'ez: ማርቆስ; ), also known as Saint Mark, is the person who is traditionally ascribed to be the author of the Gospel of Mark. Accor ...
and
St. Andrew
Andrew the Apostle ( grc-koi, Ἀνδρέᾱς, Andréās ; la, Andrēās ; , syc, ܐܰܢܕ݁ܪܶܐܘܳܣ, ʾAnd’reʾwās), also called Saint Andrew, was an apostle of Jesus according to the New Testament. He is the brother of Simon Peter ...
and is one of the highlights of the
Mount St. Catherine Forest Reserve.
The Mt. St. Catherine
massif
In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a ...
is the youngest of the five volcanoes on the island. The volcano has a ~1.5-km horseshoe-shaped crater open to the east, where a complex of volcanic
lava domes
In volcanology, a lava dome is a circular mound-shaped protrusion resulting from the slow extrusion of viscous lava from a volcano. Dome-building eruptions are common, particularly in convergent plate boundary settings. Around 6% of erupti ...
occur across its flanks and is monitored by the Seismic Research Center of the University of the West Indies. The volcano is considered dormant because it has likely not erupted since the last Ice Age.
It is considered to be the only live volcano among the five volcanic centers in Grenada on account of its relatively well preserved morphology and the presence of hot springs and fumaroles on its flanks. Although violent eruptions occurred in the geological past (i.e. Pleistocene—2,588,000 to 11,700 years ago), revealed by voluminous pyroclastic-flow deposits extending northwest of the summit, this type of volcanic activity is now considered unlikely to occur in the near future.
The mountain summit is accessible by 3 steep rugged routes crossing the forest reserve. Tours are available, as well as guided trips to
Tufton Hall Waterfall, the highest waterfalls on the island, off the southeastern flank of the mountain.
See also
*
List of volcanoes in Grenada
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Catherine, Mount
Inactive volcanoes
Lava domes
Mountains of the Caribbean
Pleistocene stratovolcanoes
Subduction volcanoes
Volcanoes of Grenada